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Longinian Empire
So my major setting for my DnD campaign in progress/a book i wanna write is called the Longinian Empire A short glimpse into its history is that following the second mass exodus of humans from their first home across the ocean (ill get to it later for lore sake), humanity landed in a region of the world named Lower Domaris which is this sort of mega continent spanning most of the world. Following centuries of civil strife and a 3-year long conflict involving battling heretical cultish nomads int he region, a group of the mass exodus (known as the Domarii) would form the backbone of this empire named after humanity's central god. Basically the empire is set in a northern-european, tundra and forest-heavy region with great mountain ranges and long stretches of plains around which is broken up into 12 major Counties each pertaining to one of the tribes that founded the empire. Other than some other tidbits i dont have much more other than a direction and some government structure - JustAPotato CmdrKorian - When you say: " Following centuries of civil strife and a 3-year long conflict involving battling heretical cultish nomads" i'm imagining the Domarii are basically just invading is that accurate? JustAPotato - Most of the region they landed in was inhabited but not by humans so to most Imperials, it was free real estate Sepirothstrife - While fighting themselves because some people are like "This place is much worse than we thought and we should just go back" Skeezixs - Or a revolution of a major political group coming to power? Sepirothstrife - Or are the civil strife epsiodes are people like...those creatures were here first and we should not just run roughshod over them? Skeezixs - I also have like the Witcher geopolitical conflict in mind as I read that JustAPotato - For the most part the empire stands united because in the past they were left to the mercy of other races that consistently raided them and left them close to extinction and the strife comes from the lack of leadership, many of the important heroes including who would later be their god stayed behind across the sea to make sure they weren't pursued. Also in the first exodus that came centuries before, the religious enemies of the Domarii, the Scandavii, had left to the same region in the middle of a great war that pitted humanity and its allies versus total annihilation. They would devolve into basically warrior cults and fall prey to dark powers, which is why they're an issue when the Domarii land centuries later. CmdrKorian - Well i have a hypothetical brainstorming start area: You know how in the USA every state believes that the other neighboring states are shitty for reason x y or z? Well we could do that for the counties. what are their names and reputations. i.e what do others say about people from county X? Any chance you have county names or a map potato? Skeezixs - Heavily wooded tundra right Keeping with the resources idea from the help with me. You could have gold, but as far as trading furs and meat, CmdrKorian - Assuming "traditional" fantasy technology controlling the waterways would be key to economic growth Sepirothstrife - The empire goes from like a coast to the mountains encompassing that area? Trying to get a lay of the land. I am imagining an area that has a long coast line then to foresty areas then the mountainous regions. their could be a rivalry between the coast which is where raiders sometimes attack and the mountain people because the mountain people don't have to pay to rebuild cities and prosper as their lowland cousins are attacked and less prosperous because they have to rebuild and support a navy to protect themselves. JustAPotato - As of right now the part of the mega-continent it sits on is inhabited by human-dominated empires very similar to Europe. In the west and south there is ocean but tundras in the north and a continent-spanning mountain range in the east Sepirothstrife - I will admit to realizing afterwards that this is similar to The country setup in Assassin's Apprentice Are the tundras inhabited? How passable are the mountains? JustAPotato - The Empire happens to be one of the largest players on the massive peninsula with one of the larger river and delta systems flowing right on through as well as the largest population comprised of human citizens and non-human second citizens the tundras make up about the top 15-25% of the northern section and most of the mountain ranges are accessible through cart but the great mountains in the east are nigh impassable other than a few checkpoints and passes guarded by Dwarven allies Sepirothstrife - The empire seems like it would be a bit xenophobic considering their past. Are second citizens common, treated well? JustAPotato - The Empire as a government is relatively lenient to those who are 'humanoid' but the only way to guarantee citizenship for a nonhuman is military service for the nation's central military called the Kriegshammer CmdrKorian - So they have dwarven allies. Are the dwarves natives? JustAPotato - other than that, no guarantees for any non-humans CmdrKorian - was a warhammer fan i approve the name JustAPotato - and yes, the dwarves have been there since before humanity even appeared in recorded history and have acted in a way as 'big-brothers' to humans landing in Lower Domaris. And yes, very heavily inspired CmdrKorian - So how do the Domarii view the dwarves, you said allies but clearly they aren't citizens unless they integrate into lower Domaria. JustAPotato - The Dwarves are the major exception, without their help, the Domarii who settled in the eastern regions of the continent may have starved to death and as such have worked toward common goals as much as possible, Like a teacher-student relationship CmdrKorian - Did the settlers then pick up dwarven customs? JustAPotato - They may face social ridicule but nothing more and not too great extent, for all their friendliness the dwarves are a very protective bunch. They mostly stayed in line with other Domarii tribes due to cultural and racial differences CmdrKorian - So they would have starved you say. Is it because they lost their supplies on the trip over or their techniques aren't applicable? Their old crops don't grow here so the dwarves had to teach them what does for example. Did they also try to bring their gods over (missionaries/conversion of locals). If yes were such attempts successful? Sepirothstrife - Or it could be as simple as the boat ride over took a high toll on their farmers and they had to be taught what to do. CmdrKorian - true but i like the idea of a potatoes culture having to look with suspicion at this whole baby spinach concept. Sepirothstrife - I thought they worshiped a single god and it was one of the guys who stayed back at the old land JustAPotato - Okay their faith was a bit complicated CmdrKorian - yes sorry misremembered about being monotheistic but the point still stands. Did they try and convert the local nomad cultists. the dwarves? JustAPotato - Across the sea, the humans worshiped literal angelic beings who represented manifestation of the stars in the sky but as they propped up communities in the new world much of that faith was lost to more human-centric or nature-centric gods. Closer to the foundation of the empire, the tribes who founded the Empire had begun to form a singular God named after a folk hero who stayed behind in the old world and became sort of the chief cult in a line of many cults Sepirothstrife - I would say they tried with the cultists, but they had already fallen to dark powers and were thus, nonconvertible. JustAPotato - So they're polytheistic with one major worshiping figure standard across the empire. Yes, many of the existing human locals were already druidic or corrupted by dark gods/emissaries, i hope that makes sense. As for the dwarves, the dwarves are pseudo-atheist and find faith to be naive in pursuit of more grounded efforts, not militaristic atheists but atheist none the less. With exceptions of course. CmdrKorian - gotcha Sepirothstrife - So are the cultists still around? JustAPotato - Yes, far into the northern wastes and in the massive forests dotting the empire. They remain constant threats to the moral and physical safety of the empire because their presence alone can have unforeseen corrupting consequences. The Empire's northern neighbors keep the Tundra cultists in check and local Counts and mayors keep the local cultists in the woods or on pyres CmdrKorian - so when you say corrupting influence, are we talking dnd corrupting, destabilizes the realm and the occasional black magic or are we talking warhammer corruption get the pitchforks because shit it bad? JustAPotato - The latter. if not warhammer then dark souls level corruption CmdrKorian - So mutation is pretty rampant in places influenced by the cultists? JustAPotato - yep yep Sepirothstrife - I am getting a "Purge the unclean" vibe here CmdrKorian - should be a cult leader special attack con save(or wis or cha depending on how you feel)or PC suffers a mutation, but i guess that could be one of the level one quests. Investigate why the grain is black or dead or something. So how in your game world does one resist corruption? JustAPotato - Faith is the most powerful force against corruption other than physically destroying it. The reason Longinius, their chief deity, is so strong is because his sacrifice by staying behind allowed him to contain a demonic incursion that spread from humanity itself. His body and soul remain a spiritual and physical cap on corruption in the world, at least caused by humanity's demons. Of course he cannot contain everything for forever and thats where much of the future plot arises. Sepirothstrife - Or the party starts in an area where corruption has just started to seep in and they have to escape and convince the local inquistor style people that they are not corrupted...maybe getting roped into helping purge or be purged themselves JustAPotato - Thats actually a pretty solid idea there. And yes in case you're all wondering, im setting a very grimdark to nobledark theme. CmdrKorian - pretty fair, introduces them to the game world and gives them a boss to tell them what to do (assuming the inquisitors have that power to conscript) JustAPotato - Yep! I will need to flesh out the corrupting forces as well as any special events that may happen if they do become corrupted or die in the process of being corrupted. Luckily enough not every race is so prone to its afflictions Sepirothstrife - And, if a PC was amenable to it, you could have them get corrupted a little and then find a way to reverse it...which would be anathema to the inquisitors who feel it should be destroyed. but would provide a moral quandary as to if they should try to cleanse corruption or destroy it...and how they hide the fact that they can cleanse without killing from the inquisition. It would make the pcs work with maybe not bad people, but people unwilling to change the way they do things. JustAPotato - You're pretty much on track with what tones I wanted to set. There are a set few ways the nation and the world deals with this issue but as the situation grows desperate, they might find 'alternative' ways to stimmy the flow Sepirothstrife - Cleansing should be a process that takes time, and provides a downside for a while so the players have to worry about it as it will hurt them for a while, but it is not a if I fail to save I am screwed forever situation CmdrKorian - So would your world use all classes? Sepirothstrife - I think warlock would be a very dangerous class to play, having to hide your pact or be judged to be tainted JustAPotato - As far as i am concerned, i want to make it as open to play as possible so i will add what flavor i can to keep the class options open CmdrKorian - yeah but could exist. Some like sorceror or barbarian seem less likely.(at least for PC's) Sepirothstrife - Warlocks get a "Handler" and make a deal with ruinous powers but use it to fight them...like psyker's in 40k. They are not trusted and are watched but deemed needed for the war effort JustAPotato - That's a pretty good fight fire with fire idea i didnt think about. Clerics and warlocks standing in opposition existentially but together on the battlefield to prevent ruin. Wizards finding a midground CmdrKorian - so do these cultis actually want something (do their dieties want anything)? or is it just moustache twirl we're evil. Sepirothstrife - Spread corruption seems like their first step. Maybe to empower the dark gods to be able to break the cap on corruption. Though the plan after that would seem to be...watch the world burn JustAPotato - Seeing as their gods were born from corruption within humanity, i could see their gods embodying the worst and best extremes of the human needs or emotional spectrum So not every cultist is evil but they all carry the potential to be fully corrupted at any point, sort of like peeking into forbidden knowledge but having the restraint to not read further. Yes, watching the world burn or rather flicker would be the overarching goal Sepirothstrife - So literally the chaos gods from 40k only slightly less crazy JustAPotato - yeah, 40k is fun but a bit too 'everything is evil' kinda vibe. i wanted a little more reason and control. Those that practice moderation are safe, those that throw caution to the wind end up sucking themselves in Sepirothstrife - Well, 40k is the story of mankind falling. There is no other possible outcome, they are just delaying it for as long as possible JustAPotato - And i wanted to deviate from that a bit by giving a way out. my biggest stalling point was the how. how do you stuff back the worst parts of the human soul made physical when literal gods couldn't do it? Either way im just glad to talk to someone about this, so thanks guys! CmdrKorian - not sure tbh, i'd say don't address it unless the players actively bring it up JustAPotato - I think thats a good idea, just let them sort of build everything up and ill polish it oh and for all the doom and darkness, i really want to flesh out the cultures and races of the world as much as i can Im super heavy into rping Sepirothstrife - Well, I think that is the point though. god can't do it, because humans need to face those corruptions in themselves. With each person they help to overcome their darker impulses they lessen the power of the corruption. with each evil they commit it gets stronger. You could convey this in campaign by having the corruption recede when they are helpful and get people to face their issues, but when they do something that would be evil...the corruption advances swiftly. With each village they help those people help others and it starts a cascade that weakens the corrupted soul to the point the players feel they can win, and then they can get stomped but learn that they need to do more...or something else CmdrKorian - need to afk for a bit but i'll be glad to help out later Sepirothstrife - Or they lose but as they fall the god figure comes back and this time is able to bottle it back up, so they win and survive...barely. I dont know where the story could go from there as that seems pretty god tier to me Category:Worlds and realms